Container



CONTAINER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed Feb. 3, 1945 IiVVFNTOR.

June 15, 1954 R. s. SANFORD 2,681,172

CONTAINER Original Filed Feb. 3, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 36 "Mn, 3Q

INVEN TOR.

5/?7Jjm Md.

Patented June 15, 1954 CONTAINER Roy S. Sanford, Woodbury, Conn., 'assignorto The Autoyre Company, Incorporated, Oakv-ille, Conn, a corporation of Connecticut Original application February 3, 1945, Serial No.

576,071. Divided and this applicationlune 2, 1949, Serial No. 96,720

Claims. 1

This invention relates to containers and methods for manufacturing same, and more particularly to containers made from sheet material having one or more apertured or perforated walls and methods for their manufacture. The invention has for an object the provision of improved containers of this character. This appli cation is a division of application Serial No. 576,971, filed February 3, 1945, now Patent No.

of the container. .Thecontainer thus formed has aperturesor perforations in the bottom wall corresponding to thetongueswhich have been bent upwardly. Thetongues may be-spacedalong two or more longitudinaledges-and extensionsof the sheet may be provided which are adapted to be bent upwardly and inwardly to form the transverse .side walls.

.In the embodiments of the invention disclosed 2,476,948. 10 and specifically claimed herein themarginal por- The invention hereindisclosecl is particularly tions may bebent upwardly into face-to-face applicable to the manufacture of containers of contact with the tongues or side members and various types including cartons, trays or boxes adhesively orotherwise secured thereto, or may made from paper board, sheet metal, or the like, be .bent inwardly into face-to-face engagement as hereinafterappears. Such containers have with and. adhesivelyorotherwise secured to the heretofore been fabricated by suitably stamping under surfaceof the bottom wallof thecontainer. or cutting a flat sheet of paper board or metal Thus a reinforcing. edge. portion is provided for to provide a central portion constituting the botthe .containers adjacent the. bases of the spaced tom wall of the container and having side walltongues and alonga peripheral edge of the botforming portions extending outwardly from the tom wall of the container.

edges thereof, and then folding or bending these For a more complete understanding of the inextending portions upwardly to form the sides vention, reference should now .be had to the of the container. The blank in this type of condrawings in which: struction must be at least as wide as the com- Fig. l is an. isometric viewof a cartonor box bined width of the bottomand the height of the made in accordance with theprocess of the prestwo longitudinal side walls, and must be at least ent invention; as long as the combined length of the bottom wall Fig- 2. is. a similar view. of .a partially formed and the height of the transverse side walls. blank from.whichthebottom. and side walls of The recent substantial increases in both labor the carton shownin Fig. 1 may be formed; and material costs will inevitably be reflected in 0 Fig. 3 .is. aplanview of the slit but unfolded the final costs and sales prices of the finished blank shown. in Fig. v2; articles if the above-referrecl-to types of con- Fig. 4 is .a detail View of one ofthe edge-formtainers are manufactured in the known fashion. ing strips employedinthe cartonof Fig. 1; It is highly desirable, however, that containers of Fig. 5 is .aplan view ofablank from which the this character be manufactured at costs which bottom and .side walls of another form ofcarton will permit them to be sold at prices comparable made in accordance with the-process of the presto previous levels in spite of the increase in labor ent. inventionanay be formed; costs and material costs. The amount of sheet Fig. 6 isa perspective View. of a cartonformed material required in manufacturing these confrom the blankof Fig.5, apart of the marginal taihers results in relatively high material costs, edge being shown-in an unbent condition to show particularly when formed from sheet metal. Acstructural. details; cordingly, it is a further object of this invention Fig. 7 is anexploded perspective view of still to provide an improved method of manufacturanother form of carton before completion; and ing containers of this type which results in low Fig. 8 is a side elevational view of the carton cost, attractive and durablearticles, and which shown in ,Fig. 7. may be carried out with an expenditure of mini- Referring now to the drawings, the invention mum amounts of material and labor. is shown in Figs. 1 to as embodied ina box or In carrying out this invention in one form, carton for shipping or display purposes. A1- a suitable sheet of metal, paper board or other .though .this box or carton may be made from material is slit to form a plurality of tonguesm sheet metal if desired, it is preferably formed having free inner ends, the slits terminating short from paper board or similar inexpensive material of the edges of the sheet to leave unslit marginal ordinarily used in the construction .of cartons portions. The tongues are then struck or bent andcontainers. As shown in Fig. 3, the .blank upwardly and outwardly to form spaced side 10 from which the carton orcontainer is formed members along the edges of the sheet, which side. 5 .is provided along opposed longitudinal edges members are connected to intermediate portions thereof with U-s-hapedslits. 12 which. terminate of the sheet solely by the unslit marginal porshort of the opposed. edges. to .leave unslit martions, and the upper ends of the side members ginal portions. The tongues IE. formed bythe are then connected to an upper portion Or edge slits I2-may,.as shown best in Fig. 2, be bent or forming strip or strips to complete the side walls 30 struck upwardly out of the plane of the blank. to

form upstanding side wall portions, the unslit marginal portions It being simultaneously bent downwardly out of the plane of the blank. Extending outwardly from the central portion of the blank H3 in which the tongues it are formed is a pair of side wall forming members I8 which may be bent upwardly along the fold lines 20. In order to complete the carton a pair of edgeforming strips 22 (Fig. 4) is provided which may be adhesively secured to the upper ends of the side members or tongues l 6, the opposite ends of the strips 22 being turned inwardly for securement to the end side wall members It. The downwardly extending marginal portions 14, shown in Fig. 2, are bent inwardly and secured, preferably by an adhesive, to the undersurfaces of the portions of the blank IEI which form the perforate bottom wall of the container or carton. as shown in Fig. 1. In this embodiment of the invention the free ends of the tongues 16 are spaced apart when formed so as to leave a central longitudinally extending portion 24 which extends throughout the length of the bottom wall of the container. It will of course be understood that any suitable top or closure member may be provided for cooperation with the finished container shown in Fig. l, and the top or closure member may be secured to the body of the container in any desired manner. The central portion 24 and the bent marginal portions H! serve as reinforcements for the bottom wall and the container. In the event that the container is formed of sheet metal the marginal portion M may be secured to the bottom wall by welding or soldering and the strips 22 may likewise be secured to the tongues I6 and the end side wall members l8 by soldering or welding.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the central portion of a suitable i blank 26 is again provided with rows of U-shaped slits 28, the slits in this case overlapping and having a portion of one leg of each slit coinciding with the adjacent slit to provide pairs of sideby-side tongues 30. In the embodiment shown the free end of each tongue terminates short of the base of the adjacent tongue so that a space 32 is left adjacent the free end of each tongue. If it is desired to form higher side walls on the container, however, the tongues may extend entirely to the base of the adjacent tongue so that the height of the side walls formed by the tongues will be the same as the width of the bottom wall of the container. In this embodiment of the invention the tongues are bent upwardly from the plane of the blank, as in the previously described embodiment, to form spacedapart members, but the unslit marginal portions 34, which extend along the opposed longitudinal edges of the blank, are not bent downwardly but instead are bent upwardly and secured into face-to-face engagement with the side members 30 constituting the side walls, as shown best in Fig. 6.

Adjacent the opposite ends thereof the blank 26 includes extending side wall forming portions 36 which may be bent upwardly about the fold lines 33 to form the end walls of the carton or container. These portions 36 are preferably of greater height than the tongues 30 and are suitably scored, as indicated by the score lines ML so that the portions 42 beyond the score lines may be bent downwardly as shown in Fig. 6. Suitable edge-forming strips 54, similar to the strips 22 shown in Fig. 4, are provided for securement to the upper ends of the tongues 30 and the inwardly turned ends of these strips 44 extend under the downwardly turned portions 42 of the end walls 36. As shown, the longitudinal marginal portions 34 are so formed as to extend beyond the fold lines 33 which correspond to the ends of the bottom wall of the container, and these extending portions are bent inwardly into engagement with and are preferably adhesively secured to the outer surfaces of the end walls 36, as shown in Fig. 6.

In Figs. '7 and 8 the invention is shown as embodied in a carton of the type having openable and closable end flaps. The various parts of this carton which are similar to the corresponding parts of the carton shown in Figs. 1 to 4 have been given similar reference numerals. Thus it will be observed that the carton consists of side members or tongues lfia. which are formed from the material of another wall Illa, in this case a side wall but in the embodiment of Fig. 1 the bottom wall, this wall its having a longitudinally extending central strip 24a and the marginal portions Ma being inturned into face-to-face engagement with the outer surfaces of the wall lilo intermediate the apertures left by the tongues [6a. In place of the edge-forming strips 22 shown in Fig. 4, the carton is provided with a solid wall-forming portion 45 which is provided along opposed edges thereof with edge-forming strips 48 adapted to be adhesively secured to the free ends of the tongues Ilia. The end wall portions [8a in this embodiment of the invention are provided with tuck flaps 50, as shown, which, when the ends of the carton are closed, extend within the side walls formed by the portion 46 and the side members or tongues ilia, and these ends of the carton may be opened or closed at will to fill the carton or remove the contents thereof. If desired, one of the end walls may be adhesively secured in its closed position so that the carton may be opened from one end only Without destroying the carton.

It will now be apparent that the process of this invention may be employed for the manufacture of various types of cartons, containers, trays. dishes and the like, and that attractive and rugged articles are produced with a minimum number of manipulative steps and with the employment of a minimum amount of material relative to the size of the finished article. Various types of foldable or formable material may likewise be employed depending upon the use to which the finished article is to be put, and various types of finishes, such as plating or enameling, may be employed. The process may be carried out by cutting or stamping the blank of sheet material into the desired configuration, slitting the formed blank, striking or bending upwardly the end walls and the several tongue members forming the side walls, bending the lower marginal portions of the bottom wall and securing them in face-to-face relationship with a side or bottom wall of the container, and securing the upper ends of the tongue members to an upper edge portion 22 or 44 as in Figs. 1 to 6 or to a separate top wall member 45 as in Figs. '7 and 8.

Claims broadly directed to the process of forum ing containers of the general type herein disclosed are contained in my co-pending applica tion Serial No. 96,719, filed June 2, 1949, now abandoned, as a division of my previously referred to application, Serial No. 576,071, now Patent No. 2,476,948.

While I have shown particular embodiments of my invention, it will be understood, of course,

that I do not wish to be limited thereto since many modifications may be made, and I, therefore, contemplate by the appended claims to cover any such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A container formed from sheet material comprising a bottom wall, a plurality of spaced tab members struck up from a central area of said bottom wall to form each of a pair of side walls for said container and to form a plurality of apertures in said bottom wall terminating adjacent each of said side walls, means integral with said bottom wall and the lower ends of said tab members for integrally connecting the lower ends of said tab member and including an integral portion deformed out of the plane of said bottom wall and secured in face-to-face relationship with a wall of said container to provide a reinforcement for said container, and means connecting the upper ends of said tab members.

2. A container formed from sheet material comprising a bottom wall, a side wall including a plurality of spaced tab members struck upwardly from one surface of said bottom wall leaving apertures therein, means connecting the upper ends of said tab members, and means also formed from said sheet material integral with said bottom wall and said tab members connect ing the lower ends of said tab members, said last mentioned means including portions turned under said bottom wall and secured thereto in faceto-face relationship to provide a reinforcement for said container.

3. A container formed from sheet material comprising a bottom wall having a row of apertures therein along each of two longitudinal edges, the apertures in each row extending to the adjacent edge, spaced apart members struck up from a central area of said bottom wall to form said apertures and to form a side wall extending upwardly from the plane of said bottom wall at the outer ends of said apertures, a continuous strip along each of said edges each having longitudinal edges disposed substantially in the plane of said side wall integrally connecting the lower ends of said members to the edge portions of said bottom wall intermediate said apertures, said strips being bent and secured in faceto-face relationship with a wall of said container, additional side wall members extending upwardly from other edges of said bottom wall, and means connecting the upper ends of at least some of said members.

4. A continer formed from sheet material comprising a bottom wall having a row of aperture means therein along each of two opposite edges thereof, said aperture means extending to the adjacent edge, spaced apart tongue members struck upwardly from the plane of said bottom wall at the outer ends of said aperture means forming opposed side walls for said container, a continuous strip along each of said opposite edges integrally connecting the lower ends of adjacent tongue members and integral with said bottom wall, said strip being bent out of the plane of the bottom wall and secured to a wall of said container in face-to-face relationship, side wall members extending upwardly from the other edges of said bottom wall, and means connecting the upper ends of the tongue members of each opposed side wall.

5. The container recited in claim 4 wherein each continuous strip is secured in face-to-face relationship with said bottom wall.

6'. The container recited in claim 4 wherein each continuous strip is secured in face-to-face relationship with said tongue members forming each of said opposed side walls.

7. A container formed from sheet material comprising a bottom wall having a row of apertures therein along each of two longitudinal edges, the apertures in each row extending to the adjacent edge, spaced-apart side members extending upwardly from the plane of said bottom wall at the outer ends of said apertures, a strip along each of said edges connecting the lower ends of said side members to the edge portions of said bottom wall adjacent said apertures, said strips being. folded inwardly and secured in flatwise relation to the undersurface of said bottom wall, other side members extending upwardly from other edges of said bottom wall, and upper edge strips secured in flatwise relation to the upper end portions of said spaced side members and to said other side members.

8. A container formed from sheet material comprising a bottom wall having a row of apertures therein along each of two longitudinal edges, the apertures in each row extending to the adjacent edge, spaced-apart side members extending upwardly from the plane of said bottom wall at the outer ends of said apertures, a strip along each of said edges connecting the lower ends of said side members to the edge portions of said bottom wall adjacent said apertures, said strips being folded upwardly and secured in flatwise relation to the outer surfaces of said side members, an upper edge strip secured in flatwise relation to the upper ends of said side members along said edges, and other side members extending upwardly from other edges of said bottom wall, said upper edge strips being secured at opposite ends thereof to said other side members.

9. A container formed from sheet material comprising a bottom wall having a row of apertures therein along each of two longitudinal edges, the

apertures in each row extending to the adjacent edge, spaced-apart side members struck up from a central area of said bottom wall to form said apertures extending upwardly from the plane of said bottom wall at the outer ends of said apertures, a strip along each of said edges connecting the lower ends of said side members to the edge portions of said bottom wall adjacent said apertures, a wall member including edge strips along opposite sides thereof secured to the upper ends of said side members to form a wall of said container opposite said bottom wall, and end wall members integral with said bottom wall at least" one of which includes tuck flaps insertable inside said side members and said wall member to close the ends of said container.

10. The container recited in claim 9 wherein said strips are folded inwardly and secured in flatwise relation to the under surface of said bottom wall.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,142,017 Brown June 8, 1915 1,235,115 Coppage July 31, 1917 2,476,948 Sanford July 19, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 173,115 Germany July 9, 1906 

